Servant Leadership, Organisational Commitment, and Performance of Uganda’s Parliamentary Committees

Abstract

The underperformance of parliamentary committees in Uganda remains a major governance challenge, and despite existing focus on issues such as corruption and inadequate resources, limited attention has been given to the influence of servant leadership within the parliamentary context. Although servant leadership has been widely studied in sectors such as health, education, and business, its application to legislative institutions in sub-Saharan Africa remains underexplored. This study therefore aimed to determine the influence of servant leadership on the performance of parliamentary committees in Uganda, focusing on humility, persuasion, altruism, and empowerment, and examining the moderating role of organisational commitment by Servant Leadership Theory, Leader-Member Exchange Theory, and Goal Setting Theory. The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and mixed-methods research design. Data were collected from 320 committee members using a census approach, alongside 12 committee chairpersons and 15 clerks selected purposively. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that servant leadership traits were positively exhibited, with high mean scores of; humility (4.06), persuasion (4.02), altruism (4.03), and empowerment (3.99). Qualitative results confirmed that these traits foster inclusive decision-making, consensus-building, supportive work environments, and autonomy among committee members. Performance of parliamentary committees was also rated positively. Inferential analysis showed that servant leadership significantly influenced parliamentary committee performance, with humility (β = 0.640, p < 0.05), persuasion (β = 0.590, p < 0.05), altruism (β = 0.620, p < 0.05), and empowerment (β = 0.610, p < 0.05) all demonstrating positive and statistically significant effects, with empowerment and altruism emerging as the strongest predictors. Organisational commitment was found to significantly moderate the relationship, strengthening the influence of servant leadership, particularly altruism and empowerment, on performance outcomes. The study concludes that servant leadership is a key driver of performance of parliamentary committees, enhancing participation, engagement, and output quality. It was further concluded that the performance of committtees is strengthened when supported by high levels of organisational commitment. The study recommends institutionalising servant leadership through leadership training, capacity building, and policy frameworks, alongside strengthening organisational commitment through improved working conditions and inclusive governance practices. The study contributes to theory by extending servant leadership to legislative contexts in sub-Saharan Africa and provides practical insights for strengthening parliamentary leadership and governance. These findings are beneficial to parliamentary stakeholders, policymakers, researchers, and development partners seeking to improve legislative performance in Uganda.